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  • Freehold Secondary OOS Section

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Pertaining to all railroading subjects, past and present, in New Jersey

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 #471640  by transit383
 
Two recent photos from this section of track.

This shows the end of the active tracks at Okerson Road in Freehold, by the Inspection Station. There is a pretty neat looking structure near the grade crossing, which I assume dates back to the PRR days. I'm not sure what it is, though, so can anyone help me out with that? Also, what does the "ART" stand for on the blue sign?

Okerson Road, looking west

This one was taken at Fairfield Road in Howell. Crossbucks still exist on both sides of the intersection, as do pavement markings. Its interesting to note that this crossing has not been marked Exempt, and despite the tracks being out of service, school buses must stop every time they cross here.

Fairfield Road, looking west

 #471694  by Eric Kreszl
 
Hello,


I really enjoyed your photos. I would love to explore that area myself.


Once again great photos.


Eric

 #471709  by JJMDiMunno
 
Well, while I'm not too familiar with that area itself, I can tell you that ART is a DCS block station marker, meaning it indicates the end of one block and the beginning of another. There are DCS block stations at JAMESBURG (MP 5.6), ART (MP 19.7), TOTH (MP 24.2) and FARMINGDALE (MP 24.6). This track is controlled under NORAC rules for DCS operation, meaning that trains must receive a form D with a line 2 authority to operate over this track.

The out of service segment begins, as you noted, just railroad east of that ART block limit station, at milepost 19.6.

Mike DiMunno
 #471830  by runnerup
 
This probably doesn't help much, but I consulted several maps (among them old train maps, atlases, and USGS), and I found no reference to any station or placename in that exact area. The closest I could come would be Ardena, which is about 3 miles south of those photos.

 #471892  by lvrr325
 
Haven't you ever seen a signal mast before?

 #471961  by transit383
 
lvrr325 wrote:Haven't you ever seen a signal mast before?
If it is a signal mast, it is awful close to the roadway. I've never seen a signal that close to the edge of pavement at a grade crossing (you can see the edge of pavement in the lower left corner of the photo).

I received this email about what it actually is:

The device that still stands used to hold a warning bell for upcoming trains. Most of the crossings in the area (Yellowbrook Road, Fairfield Road, Howell Road, Halls Mills Road, before Kozloski Road) had Cross Buck Signs and a Pole with a Warning Bell. Route 524 outside Farmingdale had flashing lights, and the other crossings east of Farmingdale that has been torn up were the same way.

 #472271  by lvrr325
 
Position of highway grade crossings and signal locations have little to do with one another; the signal goes where it needs to go. I've run across other examples of railroad signals very close to highway crossings in the past.


There is no bell visible on the mast, and crossing equipment is normally installed independent of signalling equipment. Bells are located normally on the top of the pole the lights/crossbuck/gates would be installed on.

Masts are normally left behind because they only had value as scrap and at the time the signals were removed it wasn't worth the labor to remove it. Given what scrap brings now it's a wonder someone hasn't torched the bolts off and dumped it on a car trailer and headed for the scrapyard with it.

 #472420  by mdamico23
 
While on the subject of the OOS portion of the Freehold Secondary, does anyone know when the portion of the line between Okerson Rd and TOTH was taken out of service? Did Conrail ever operate through service over this portion of the line, or was it taken OOS on April 1, 1976 "C-Day." One more note about the Freehold Secondary, were the remnants of the Jersey Central's Freehold Branch in Freehold itself (including the CNJ's little yard near the carpet mill) ever operated by CR? I would imagine if it was, it was accessed off of the former Pennsy Freehold Secondary. I know by 1976, the through route on the former CNJ between Matawan and Freehold was not operational, with just sporadic service south of Matawan. Thanks...

-Mike

 #472618  by Blackseal Jim
 
The Freehold Branch saw its last trains in 1973. These trains came down from Matawan. The interchange in Freehold was removed long before I can remember. The lead to the interchange was last used by the CNJ as part of their wye. The switch point from the interchange still lies next to the Pennsy visible from Hudson St.
Jim H

 #472739  by CJPat
 
I don't know when the last train ran on the OOS section of the Freehold Secondary, but I will say that when I moved into the general area in '89, the ROW across Cnty 524, on the outskirts of Farmingdale proper, looked fairly clean (no overgrowth) for atleast a couple of years.

 #472981  by Shark
 
The last time I saw a train on the current OOS portion of the Freehold Secondary, was in fall of 2001 or 2002. I noticed the headlight and ditch lights of an approaching train at one of the crossings in Howell (possibly Yellow Brook Road). It was the CSXT 4422(or 4441, will have to check the records) back when it was in Conrail Quality paint, an empty centerbeam flat, and the CSXT 4402 in CSX paint. I followed them to Gold Lumber, where they stopped, changed ends, pulled the two empty boxes and one empty centerbeam, got back on the blue engine, and pulled up to Railroad Ave. The crew walked over to Cumberland Farms then the conductor got a new Form D at the Main Street call box. The Southern Secondary/Freehold Secondary switch was thrown, the train pulled up, the switch was lined and locked normal, conductor walked ahead, and they continued up the Southern towards Red Bank. This took place on a thrusday afternoon as I went out to Farmingdale the next morning to meet the SA35. They cut away from the train down by the bridge, ran lite to Gold, and returned lite. A few words were said, a call was made, and the conductor had more to say about not being told the cars were picked up the day before. That was the last I saw or seen evidence of a train west of the West Main Street crossing on the Freehold Secondary.

 #473099  by JADes718
 
Now I can't confirm this but a fellow railfan spoke with a conductor working bayshore vinyl, about five years ago. It was said that COSA was looking into reactivating the OSS portion to service industries on the Southern Secondary instead of running on the NJCL. But the conductor also said the crews did not like the idea because the were no sidings to drop cars and preform run-arounds. Maybe that that is what shark saw? One another not if COSA doesn't do some maintence on the rest of the line, the whole Freehold Secondary is goin to look like Transit383's photos.

 #517948  by CRRofNJ
 
I remember Penn Central removing the remains of the connection with the CNJ sometime when I was is in elementary school. So that was sometime prior to June 1972. They also rebuilt the entire track between South and Hudson Streets at that time as it was in horrible shape. I don't recall the tracks of the PC and CNJ actually being connected across Hudson Street as a kid.

I do have a track chart of the line from the 1950's somewhere that would show if that in fact was a signal at Okerson Road. I recall a bell being at this crossing and in fact it was working within the past 10 years. When CR came up the branch to Prestone the bell would be ringing the whole time it was switching.

 #519223  by GSC
 
In the Fairfield Road pic above, if the photog turned 90 degrees to his left, he'd be staring at a wooden signal box on a steel pole, with the bell still in place at the top of the mast.

Old Official Guides list most of these road crossings as stations: Cranberry, Fairfield, Howell Station (where an old Camden & Amboy-style freight house still exists as a farm storage shed). Not sure if there were ever actual station buildings there (except for Howell, which had a structure) but were still listed, mileage and all, as stations.

This line was busy enough in its day that PRR wanted to double-track it.

 #519259  by CJPat
 
Old Official Guides list most of these road crossings as stations: Cranberry, Fairfield, Howell Station
I take it that these were probably flag stops dating back to the Agricultural Railroad?
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